Hot New Active Travel Destinations—Explore The World With Backroads

Active travel such as guided cycling, hiking, trekking and multi-sport trips have been a fast growing trend, extremely popular in recent years, and just about every major tour operator has expanded its catalog and reported record year after year numbers since the pandemic. This kind of travel is a personal passion of mine, I do several active trips annually and have been covering this space for three decades. I've traveled with a lot of great companies and written about many of them here at Forbes , and don't have a favorite, but when it comes to breadth of trips offered, customer segmentation, options, destinations and pushing into new and uncharted territory, no one can top Backroads , America's oldest active travel company, since 1979. If you want to be on the trendy cutting edge and the first on your block to explore the hot new active travel destinations, check out Backroads' new trip list.

In addition to Backroads, some of the key players I've written about for Forbes and many other publications include high-end luxury operator Butterfield & Robinson ( read more here ), food-focused luxury cycling outfitter DuVine ( read more here ), companies that do both regular trips and focus on classic race tours like the Tour de France ( read more here ), Trek Travel and EF Adventures, and regional specialists such as Tourissimo for Italy ( read more here ), Walk Japan for Japan ( read more here ), and Dolomite Mountains for hiking, cycling and skiing in the Dolomites ( read more here ). In the ultra-luxury space, there is bespoke-only Gray & Co. ( read more here ), and in the rarefied intersection of luxury and more avid "enthusiast" trips is KC&E Adventures ( read more here ).

Hot New Active Travel Destinations

Backroads Encourages New Experiences

A couple of years ago I met the wife a of a security contractor who was doing work in Eastern Europe (I won't say where), and she had become a regular visitor to Krakow while he was off working. She raved about the city, the food, the fact that it was never bombed during WWII and is remarkably preserved compared to most cities in the region. We spoke at length and I decided I needed to go to Krakow, and since then I've seen it trend upwards in the travel industry and media, and I'm pretty sure it is on the verge of becoming one of "next hot places."

I've been waiting for another trip to Europe that I could extend by train to visit Krakow for a few days, when out of the blue, Backroads announced a new cycling trip, Krakow to Budapest. It seemed serendipitous, and one of the great things about these trips is that it's easy to extend at the beginning or end, go to Krakow a few days early to explore, so my wife and I immediately signed up for the trip in 2027 and I can't wait.

I looked through the catalogs of all of the other companies mentioned above, and not one of them has a scheduled trip to Poland or Hungary, let alone both, and let alone Krakow. That' s just one example of Backroads pushing into new emerging regions that are becoming popular but have not necessarily arrived yet as mass travel hotspots.

"Part of what has kept Backroads evolving for more than 47 years is that we've never stopped looking for what's next," President, CEO and Founder Tom Hale told me. "Some of the most exciting opportunities are in places travelers haven't yet considered for an active vacation. The challenge, and the pleasure, is recognizing that potential and figuring out how to bring it to life, so our guests come home excited about a place they might otherwise have overlooked."

There are two parts to this equation, discovering the next great place and then putting luxe logistics into place, including expert guides, routes, lodging and attractions, a process called trip development. It's pretty easy to put itineraries together in a place like Tuscany that is mad for cycling and has been hosting cycling travel for decades, with tons of infrastructure. It's harder being the first, but often more rewarding.

"We're always looking for places that give travelers that feeling of discovery," said Riley Pearce, Vice President of Guest Experience. "We love opening up destinations people may have seen in photos or read about but aren't quite sure how to experience on their own. We're looking for destinations with incredible and unique scenery for hiking or biking, fascinating culture and history, memorable food, welcoming communities and a strong sense of place."

"People trust us to figure out the absolute best way to spend a week outdoors in a destination, and we take that responsibility very, very seriously. Our job is to bring to life the spirit of a place through the subtle, quiet moments, the exchanges with locals, the smells and the tastes. The question we always ask is: what makes this place special enough that someone will come home talking about it for years?"

As a great example, several years ago the state of Kentucky created a "Bourbon Trail" for tourism, a map where visitors could drive themselves from distillery to distillery, doing tours and tastings. After it became a hit, Kentucky tourism rolled out a cycling version, with mapped routes and places to stay, an adventurous self-guided exploration that would involve carrying all your luggage while biking. Backroads was the first company to go in and run the Kentucky Bourbon Trail as a luxury guided group trip, and I jumped on it. The trip was one of my all-time best cycling trips, but also an eye opener, and I was personally shocked by how much I enjoyed it, and I wrote about that particular trip in detail here at Forbes . If you are a cyclist and a whiskey fan, it can't be beat, and the quality of the roads, routes, scenery, hotels and other attractions was wonderful. But when I went they had just pioneered the trip, beginning with a single departure. Just a few short years later it is so popular there are 20 departures scheduled from April to October 2027. That's pretty much how it goes when they find hot new active travel destinations.

"Launching a new destination is a huge undertaking for us," explained Pearce. "We build our trips from the ground up and design every single element, which is unique in a world where most travel companies outsource the running of their trips to local third party operators. We're constantly scouting routes, evaluating hotels, meeting with local partners and looking for those experiences that guests would never find in a guidebook. Tom Hale has always pushed us not to settle for 'good enough,' so we're constantly evaluating every aspect of the trip to create the most perfect experience and the truest distillation of what the region has to offer. The goal isn't simply to add another trip to the catalog. It's to create the truest expression of a destination, whether that's a leisurely cruise along the bike path on Michigan's Mackinac Island, or a challenging village to village hike in the mountains of Transylvania."

The Krakow to Budapest trip I am doing stops for local fare such as pierogis and Hungarian tokay wines, visits centuries old thermal spa towns, passes through gorgeous national parks and car free riverside bike paths, tours a 12thcentury castle, a UNESCO World Heritage monastery, and off the beaten path historic towns and villages, while staying in luxury lodgings. But that is just one of the hot new destinations for active travel. Here are the others.

Hot New Active Travel Destinations: Egypt

Egypt has suddenly become the world's new travel hotspot, with record breaking arrival numbers, 19 million in 2025 and on a pace to outperform that for 2026—for the first quarter of this year international arrivals were up 16% over the same period in 2025, which in turn was an all-time record. The recently opened Grand Egyptian Museum near Giza quickly became a global "most visit" phenomenon while the country has had major infrastructure advances and is in the process of doubling its hotel rooms, a massive increase with many new properties and major growth at the luxury end, along with several new high-end Nile River cruises. Tourism from the U.S. has steadily climbed and Harper's Bazaar just ran big feature on the pyramids as a Bucket List trip and called the craze "Egyptomania."

But a lot more of these tourists have seen the country from cruise ships than bicycles, and no major active travel tour company offered Egypt as a scheduled destination until Backroads just stepped in (companies like Gray & Co. , which is ultra-luxury and does only custom private trips, with no scheduled group departures, will go pretty much anywhere and also takes clients who have "seen it all" to cutting edge places such as Egypt, as discovering new hotspots is one of Gray & Co.'s specialties as well).

Backroads' new "Egypt Multi-Adventure Tour" combines walking, hiking, biking, kayaking, yoga, a ride in a traditional Egyptian sailboat, a felucca, on the Nile, an Egyptian cooking class and an optional hot air ballon ride. Guests visit the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Sphinx, the Valley of Kings, Luxor, Cairo, Karnak Temple, the Grand Egyptian Museum and more, all with expert guides.

Hot New Active Travel Destinations: Michigan

Michigan, yes, Michigan. I've spent a lot of time there playing golf, eating cherry pie, covering regional foods and generally enjoying all the wonderful nature and Midwestern hospitality, so I know many of the appeals, but there are lots of people who do not. Apparently, Backroads also figured this out, and once again, when I reviewed the catalogs of every other cycling and hiking tour operator listed above, there was not a single mention of the "The Wolverine State."

Backroads calls it "a freshwater paradise that still feels largely undiscovered beyond the region. The itinerary brings together Northern Michigan's greatest hits in one week, from Traverse City wine country, Sleeping Bear Dunes National lakeshore and Old Mission Peninsula to the Tunnel of Trees and a two-night finale on car-free Mackinac Island. Along the way, guests experience scenic biking, vineyards, cherry country, wooded shorelines, charming lake towns and a strong local food scene featuring farmstands, wine and fresh-caught fish." Do not miss the famous cherry pie!

Hot New Active Travel Destinations: Cyprus

Among avid riders, Cyprus has been an emerging Mediterranean cycling destination for the past few years but rarely gets mentioned in the mainstream travel media. Pearce explained this recent addition to the company's list of worldwide trips, "While the island is known for its sunshine and turquoise coastline, its potential as a world-class cycling destination is still relatively undiscovered. Smooth, quiet roads lead from the coast into rugged mountains, forests, vineyards and orchards, with sweeping views and terrain ranging from approachable rides to challenging climbs. It's a rare combination of serious road cycling, Mediterranean scenery and deep cultural history."

Cycling enthusiasts love the Mediterranean, with hotspots such as Mallorca, Sardinia, much of Italy and the south of Spain, but Cyprus offers a fresh alternative for travelers who have already explored the region's better-known active destinations. On this new trip you can ride through rural Cyprus and Machairas National Forest Park, climb into the Troodos Mountains and along the slopes of Mount Olympus, and explore the island's quieter northern coast, all while experiencing Cyprus's rich history, from Neolithic settlements and centuries-old monasteries to UNESCO World Heritage sites and traditional villages. As always, local cuisine is a highlight, and since cycling works up a thirst, it's convenient that the island has a long winemaking tradition, one you can experience firsthand.

Hot New Active Travel Destinations: Romania

Unlike these other emerging active travel destinations, Romania has recently gotten a ton of press in the outdoor media, thanks to the completion of the Via Transilvanica, a nearly 1,000-mile long distance hiking trail route that crosses the length of the country. A few months ago, I wrote a feature titled "Where To Go For Active Travel Vacations In 2026 and 2027," covering both classic destinations and new hotspots, and included the Via Transilvanica. Again, Backroads was the first major active tour operator in the U.S to offer a hiking trip on this trail, albeit a luxury approach that is a long way from camping and backpacking.

"Romania is an exciting alternative for travelers who have already experienced Europe's classic destinations and are looking for a different side of the continent," said Pearce. "At the crossroads of East and West, the country combines the wild landscapes of the Carpathian Mountains with medieval towns, Transylvanian villages, castles and a rich mix of cultural and culinary influences. It offers the history and charm travelers associate with Europe, but in a setting that still feels less discovered and more unexpected."

Stops include Sibiu; the UNESCO-listed fortified village and church of Biertan; the remarkably preserved medieval town of Sighișoara, also a UNESCO World Heritage site; Brașov, surrounded by the peaks of the Southern Carpathians; and Bran Castle, famously associated with the legend of Count Dracula.

Hot New Active Travel Destinations: The Faroe Islands

Iceland has been one of the hottest tourism spots for the past several years, and most active travel outfitters visit it, but Backroads extended the regional concept by combining it with the Faroe Islands, a remote, dramatic and still relatively undiscovered archipelago in the North Atlantic. In this case they are not completely alone, as one other top shelf active travel tour operator, Canada's venerable Butterfield & Robinson, also offers an Iceland & Faroe Islands luxury guided adventure trip.

"We think the Faroe Islands are the next frontier in otherworldly hiking among sea cliffs, waterfalls and Viking villages," said Pearce, but until recently lodging has been lacking. "With the opening of just one new hotel happening soon, it's finally unlocked for us as a perfect Backroads destination."

Trips For Every Taste

One reason why Backroads has been able to offer so many new cutting-edge destinations where they and their guests are the first one in is because they already serve so many destinations and different kinds of active travel around the world, with by far the biggest catalog of any company I have traveled with. Beyond the sheer number of places, and ways to explore them, by bike, foot, snowshoe, paddle and multi-sport, even active cruises . one of the company's signatures has been a high degree of customer segmentation. They offer trips just for families with young kids, families with teens, adults only, and by age range, so those who want to can choose to travel with a similar demographic on group trips (they also offer just about every itinerary as a private trip for your group without strangers, and you can read more about planning private active travel here ). They even have e-bike only and no e-bike trips in addition to their normal cycling departures that offer both.

Two special segments of trips have been especially popular lately, women-only and culinary-focused active travel, more areas in which the company has been a trend pioneer. I can't personally speak to what a woman's only trip is like, though I have friends who have done them and loved them, especially single females who preferer the comradery. Backroads only launched its Women's Adventures in 2024 and since then the program has grown 170% and now includes more than 70 unique trips in 32 different countries.

I can speak to culinary active travel, as it a sub-topic I have followed closely for years, spoken on at travel industry conferences and am a huge fan of. In this regards Backroads is hardly alone, and all of its big competitors have embraced culinary focused trips to some degree, mainly because active travel and burning calories is the perfect companion to gastronomic indulgence. The appeal is that you don't have to choose between a food-focused vacation and an active one.

However, while many companies have food-focused active travel, even here Backroads keeps pushing the boundaries, and just added new hiking culinary trips in Bordeaux and Dordogne, France. But the biggie is a new Italy biking trip from Parma to Verona and Venice. Parma is to Italy what Lyon and San Sebastian are to France and Spain respectively, a smaller city that nonetheless is the epicurean epicenter of the entire country.

I've been to Parma several times and spent a fair amount of time there doing research for my NY Times bestseller, a food book called Real Food, Fake Food: Why You Don't Know What You're Eating & What You Can Do About It . Parma has somehow stayed off the radar for many U.S. travelers, despite being home to such famous gourmet products as Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Prosciutto di Parma, neither of which can legally be made anyplace else on earth. It is home base for Italy's largest food company, Parmalat, and pasta maker, Barilla, the region is the epicenter of great balsamic vinegar production and much more. It's just a legendary food destination—and charming city. Nonetheless, despite the staggering number of tour operators running cycling and hiking trips across the length and breadth of Italy, almost none of these itineraries visit Parma, and it's well worth visiting. This is an example of gem hidden in plain sight, and another ultra-tempting new Backroads trip.

"We're hearing more travelers say, 'I've done the classics. What's next?' That could be an emerging destination, but it could just as easily be a new way to travel," said Avery Hale Smith, Backroads' Chief Experience Officer. "There's a lot of excitement around experiences built around shared interests, like Women's Adventures and Active Culinary trips. Our goal is to help travelers see the world with fresh eyes." You can do juts that in the hot new active travel destinations.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com